Small projects, big changes — The Calabrian mafia is driving an exodus among the region's young people. Can a flour producer bring hope for a new generation?
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00:00Calabria is known for its stunning landscapes, but it also has poverty, poor infrastructure
00:07and the mafia, an issue driving an exodus among the region's young people.
00:14But this young entrepreneur from San Floro wants to see that change, with the help of
00:18flour, bread and pizza.
00:21I'm Stefano Caccavari, I live in Calabria.
00:25According to the EU, we are one of the poorest regions in Europe, but thanks to the support
00:29of thousands of people, my dream business has come true.
00:33Organic Farms Against Organized Crime.
00:36This episode is about Stefano's story, how he brought prosperity and environmental protection
00:42to Calabria.
00:45The region in Italy's deep south is home to the Calabrian mafia, or draghetta.
00:51Their power is as great as its widespread, with diversified operations, from drugs to
00:57illegal waste disposal, corruption and illicit trade are its bread and butter.
01:07Unfortunately we live in a difficult area with a large criminal presence.
01:11The mafia, known as draghetta, is strong, very strong even, because it relies primarily
01:17on family ties.
01:19It's not easy to betray someone or have a different opinion within a family.
01:25In the fields of San Floro, around 20 kilometers south of Catanzaro, Stefano grows old grain
01:31varieties previously lost to industrial agriculture.
01:35The varieties were deliberately selected to ensure greater biodiversity.
01:40The grains are ground in an old mill, not with modern rollers, but traditionally with
01:46stone.
01:47The process takes a lot longer, but produces a 100% organic, wholemeal flour that is especially
01:54nutrient rich and has a rustic flavor.
02:00This is no Silicon Valley, but we have beautiful surroundings that we need to protect.
02:04That's what drew me to farming.
02:06It is important for me and my farm to respect nature.
02:09That's why I'm committed to organic and biodynamic production.
02:14The flour goes into bread, but also cookies, pasta and pizza.
02:21The latter is served in the mill in the evening, which doubles as a pizzeria.
02:25Stefano founded his company Mulinum, which is Latin for mill, via crowdfunding.
02:30It was important to him to finance his startup with clean money and not do business with
02:35the wrong people.
02:36The project raised more than 2 million euros.
02:41Mulinum isn't just a farm where we produce and sell.
02:44My dream was to create a community.
02:46That's why I used Facebook to start the crowdfunding, which became the biggest and most important
02:51in Italy in 2016.
02:54I didn't want to be the sole owner.
02:55I wanted to create a collective.
03:00But the secret star of the mill is Stefano's grandma, Concetta.
03:05Her role is essential, being one of the few people who remember the long-lost flavors
03:09of traditional bread varieties.
03:12She tests everything.
03:14When Nonna says that the color and flavor is right, we trust her.
03:19And Andrea, our head baker, often talks to her.
03:22Nonna Concetta's quality control is very important.
03:27The duo have even taken their bread to Rome to serve the Pope himself.
03:33Stefano studied business administration.
03:36In his late twenties, he planned to leave Calabria and set up an IT startup in the US.
03:41But news that Italy's largest landfill site was to be built right next to his hometown
03:47persuaded him to stay and do something about it.
03:50That's when he founded his first initiative, a community vegetable garden.
03:55We didn't want the landfill, and in response to it, I came up with the Family Garden Project,
04:02a community garden based on a set of values, defending the land and eating well.
04:09Protests, as well as the fact that legal papers were absent, put an end to the construction
04:14of the landfill.
04:16Stefano was even given an order of merit by Italian President Sergio Mattarella for his
04:21innovative contribution.
04:24The mayor of San Floro also holds Stefano in high esteem.
04:32You could call Stefano a national hero.
04:35The whole community is proud of him.
04:38He's created new jobs.
04:42We know the difficulties in our region.
04:46That's why, as politicians, we welcome all young people who want to do business in this
04:51area.
04:54The real challenge isn't the criminality, which is everywhere in the world, but not
04:58losing heart.
05:01That's why I work to encourage people to get involved.
05:04I try to inspire them to create something beautiful, regardless of the legal, environmental,
05:10even criminal problems.
05:13The most important thing is not to be discouraged.
05:20Stefano's company is expanding.
05:22Mulinum has opened a second location in Tuscany, and soon a third in Apulia.
05:28An undeniable success story.